Goblin Madness
by BrutallyRomantic
Summary: The Mad Hatter is quite a bit more mad than usual, so that does not leave much room for forethought. When he is desperate to get Alice back into Wonderland, he makes a deal with the devil. But when he is informed of the fine print, Hatter will go to any lengths to save the girl that he needs in more ways than he can understand.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Hatter nor the Goblin King. What a pity…**

 **Summary: The Mad Hatter is (obviously) quite mad, so that does not leave much room for forethought. When he is desperate to get Alice back into Wonderland, he makes a deal with the devil. But when he is informed of the fine print, Hatter will go to any lengths to save the girl that he needs in more ways than he can understand.**

 **Warning: The M rating is for future chapters that include violence, language and/or sex/sexual situations/innuendos.**

 **Author's note: So I do realize that Sarah and Alice both are from very different time periods. For the ease of this story, I am pretending that Sarah was born in an earlier time period than Alice.**

* * *

Jareth lounged lazily on his extravagant throne, one leg thrown over the side, a crystal in his hand holding his attention. In the depths of the magical glass ran a girl, always running, always winning. The crystal was thrown across the room and exploded into shining dust as it shattered against the wall. Frustration knit the man's brow together. How on earth had she won? Twenty five years had not brought any more clarity to exactly how he had been bested by a young, foolish and sheltered fifteen year old child.

His jaw tensed visibly at the last word. No. If there was anything that Sarah wasn't it was a child. Even back then he hadn't seen her as such. She may have had the imagination of a child, but there was a sharp intelligent mind of an adult just screaming to be let out. There was a moment of regret in which Jareth almost felt bad that where Sarah lived she was not expected to use her head for much of anything that did not involve a pretty hat. In all honesty, women weren't expected to do much else than look pretty and stay silent unless their husbands spoke to them. The Goblin King shook his head. At least that was one area that he knew Sarah wouldn't have to worry about.

Though she was not a quiet or subdued girl in any respect, she was incredibly gifted in the looks department. Long dark hair complemented her creamy skin, her dark green eyes shone like the first budding leaves of spring. Her smile was a rare pleasure that fairly blinded him, and if it had ever truly been aimed in his direction Jareth felt he might have died for joy. Of course then he would have come back to claim what was his. This thought brought a scowl back to the king's fair face. Sarah wasn't his.

Twenty five years had changed his Sarah. She no longer had the shine that lit her from the inside out. The world had crushed her spirit until she was no more than wife and mother. Though, Jareth noticed with slight interest, her husband was gone and that seemed to strengthen the once incredibly stubborn girl. All that she had left was her grown daughter. The daughter who shone like Sarah used to, and was as stubborn as Sarah used to be, quite possibly even more so. The man watched the girl with interest as he never had before. She looked like her mother, except her shine was of a lighter color. She was gifted with ringlets of blonde hair and deep blue eyes in which her thoughts were often set on display for the whole world to see. If they bothered to pay attention. The stubborn set of her chin she must have inherited from her mother, however the natural thirst for real adventure instead of what resided only in storybooks she must have taken from her deceased father.

As he watched Alice, he seemed to remember an incident… It nagged at his memory, and it seemed to him that it might have included a distant cousin. He shook this away, his dusty golden hair that was so similar to Alice's drifting around his head. The past was of no importance to him, it was now that mattered.

* * *

The Mad Hatter was exceptionally mad at the moment, and very unapproachable. Now, this was not the normal 'a little bit off his rocker' type of mad, this was the complete, full-out, orange-eyed, Outlandish-speaking, throwing-teacups across the table mad. No, the Hatter was beyond mad by now. The Hatter was absolutely, irrevocably, irrefutably _furious_. And he couldn't stop himself. He was locked into a rage that could not be controlled, so beyond any form of help that even the March Hare and Mallymkun the dormouse had fled, fearing his wrath.

Through his fog, underneath the anger and the fury, there was pain. This pain was deeper than he cared to venture, and hurt more than he remembered feeling anything ever before. Even as the world burned down around him as the Red Queen destroyed his home…this pain was greater than that. He could not handle this pain, he didn't have the capability, leaving him only with rage to attempt to soothe his savage inner beast. He screamed at the sky, words he did not remember seconds later. How could he possibly cure this horrible ache? This was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

"I hate you all! You made her leave! You did this on purpose! How can you do this to me?! Don't make me live without her! Don't ask me to live! I hate you all! I need her! Why did you let her leave?!" His screams were raw by now, throat throbbing from his constant yelling. He did not hear a footstep behind him, soft and hesitant. The figure approached him slowly, as if approaching a wild animal.

"Hatter?" The man whirled around with hope in his gaze. It died as his eyes fell upon the White Queen, the color fading back to his normal vibrant green as sorrow washed over his rage, smoothing out the edges. The queen stepped closer to him cautiously. "Hatter? Please. Please calm down." The man looked at her with empty eyes; he couldn't summon up that rage again, only surrender to the pain.

"What is it?" He could not even summon up the energy to attempt politeness. The White Queen glided to him with easy steps, finally just wrapping her arms around him. She held him for a long moment before he dropped his head onto her shoulder, his own shoulders drooping.

"This is not healthy.. You must try to stay calm.. Or you will undo yourself." The White Queen stroked his wild orange hair, murmuring gently. The Hatter shook his head.

"I cannot. I needed her to stay. I needed her in order to be able to be mad. Without her I am quite sane and it is rather less disturbing than usual. I find this sanity is quite irritating as it lets in all too many conflicting things that I understand are called emotions. Whenever I think of her I cannot be anything but sane. I didn't mind it when she was around. But without her I find it quite vexing." The Hatter had lifted his head and stepped back. "I do believe I must get her back. This is not how it is supposed to be. Underland needs her back. She is its champion. Your champion." The White Queen smiled and shook her head.

"She could only have stayed if she chose it. You cannot force her to stay. It is not how things are done. It is not the right way of things." The Hatter looked at her firmly, determination blossoming within.

"And since when do I do things as I should?" He picked up his hat, which had fallen on the ground, and dusted it off and set it back in its rightful place atop his head of insane orange hair. "I _will_ get her back. No matter how I have to do it." With those words he turned and marched to the little hut at the edge of the clearing and entered, slamming the door behind him. The White Queen shook her head sadly.

"Oh Hatter, please do not do anything foolish…"

* * *

"Miss Kingsley! We are about to make port, do you wish to go below?" The captain hardly needed to ask the woman, having full knowledge of her answer at this point. By now he only asked as a formality, being that she was a woman. Most women would prefer to go below while making port, as it could be rather bumpy sometimes and most women would not like the chance of being splashed. Alice, however, was a completely different type of woman. Only just now had she put on a dress for the first time since leaving home on her voyage to China. The moment the ship had been out of sight of her weeping mother on the dock at home, Alice had gone below and come back up wearing an old pair of her father's trousers that she had stitched up to fit her snugly. The crew, while slightly shocked, had not complained at the view of the woman's shapely legs. Alice had not noticed their scrutiny. For all her pluck she really was still a child at heart. And an innocent and rather naïve one at that.

"Captain, I have no wish whatsoever to be cooped up in a small room that smells of fish." While she sounded as if she was scolding the captain, her grin contradicted her words. She knew very well the captain meant nothing by it, he was a kind man only trying to be polite. The man smiled back at her as he returned to the wheel, shouting orders at his crew. The ship docked fairly quickly, finally allowing Alice to get off and hug her mother. "Mother! I missed you so much!" She mumbled this into her mother's shoulder as the woman hugged her like she would never let go.

"Alice darling. I cannot even believe how much I missed you. Two years is entirely too long to be separated from you. I shall never let you go again." At these words, Alice pulled away from her mother with an alarmed expression only to relax as she saw the tears in her mother's eyes. "Oh Alice. I don't care what you do now just say you won't leave me again." Alice felt her heart jump. She was worth something to her mother. As more than a tool to marry off. Finally. Alice smiled back at her mother happily.

"As long as you untie my leash, mother, I would be more than happy to stay home for awhile. Granted that I am allowed to explore the gardens on my own." Her mother appeared to take her seriously, not recognizing the teasing tone in her daughter's voice.

"Of course darling. Just don't leave me." Alice hugged her mother again, smiling through her own gathering tears at the state into which her mother had driven herself.

"Alright mother. I won't leave."

* * *

Sarah really had changed. She clung to her child as if she were a lifeline, someone to save her from drowning in loneliness. Something within Jareth stirred at the sight of the weeping woman, but it was ever the younger girl who truly drew his eye. He had watched her in her travels, nearly cheering aloud each time she made a profitable deal, or discovered something she had never seen before. His attention was grasped as it had been while watching Sarah play in her imagination. Yet now, this girl was a step further than Sarah could ever be.

Perhaps not everything was despair and sorrow. Not quite yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland or Labyrinth in any way, shape or form.**

* * *

In the twilight hours, the veils between the realms were always the thinnest. If one knew how to exploit that weakness, they could quite easily slip through the cracks into a world not their own.

Only minutes after sunset, the Hatter walked swiftly towards the woods, crunching over dead leaves and underbrush. An ominous sensation only grew stronger in his chest the closer that he came to the veil between worlds, but he could not afford to back down now. The trees began to thin out, signaling his approach to the veil, until there were quite suddenly no more trees.

The circular clearing had no life, merely a patch of dirt in which nothing had ever grown. That alone, might have frightened off a lesser being, but the Hatter was not swayed. Stepping into the very center of the circle and closing his eyes, the Hatter focused on his desire.

* * *

The Goblin King knew the very moment that a stranger had arrived in his kingdom. Within a quickly summoned crystal, he saw the Hatter, and he appeared to be..shouting for him?

"Goblin King! Jareth!" The Hatter screamed at the top of his lungs just outside of the Labyrinth. "Come out! I want to make a deal!"

Jareth might have been content to merely watch his distant cousin shouting and running about, but the mention of a deal had piqued his interest. Without any of the flamboyant tricks he generally applied to intimidate those who challenged his labyrinth, the Goblin King brought himself to the outside wall. The Hatter whirled in place, a wide, face splitting grin bursting into existence. Clapping like a delighted child, he jumped forward and hugged Jareth tight exclaiming, "Hello cousin!"

Jareth's nose wrinkled due to the physical contact, peeling the Hatter's hands off of him. "Hello, Tarrant", he responded carelessly. "What do you want?"

The briskness of the golden haired man's attitude only grew the Hatter's grin; he had always found it entertaining to provoke the King to the point of irritation. The mad man's grin vanished in a heartbeat as he explained the deal he wished to make.

Converting from brisk in an instant, a devilish smile made itself comfortable on Jareth's face.

* * *

"Alice dear! Supper is ready, do come to the table, please!" Mrs. Kingsley called to her daughter from the dining room with a light tone, her happiness evident. Alice, on the other hand, had begun to develop cabin fever. The walls closed in on her out of the corners of her eyes, and try as she might she could never quite catch them actually moving. Two months had passed since she had returned from her voyage, and it was only the thought of her emotionally frail mother that kept the girl from leaving. For days after she had returned, her mother would stare at her for long periods of time, as if reassuring herself that her daughter was truly home. Alice was not terribly bothered, as she had missed her mother as well, and yet her heart's deepest desire remained.

Supper was always a quiet affair, the only sound being the clinking of silverware on plates. After the meal, Alice would often retire to her father's study, having adopted it for herself, and make plans for her next voyage. There were some rare days while considering where to travel next that Alice's mind would float to Underland. She would wonder if the White Queen was still in power, or how much time had passed, seeing as time moved differently there. The Hatter's smiling face and funny little dance would pop up in her thoughts and bring up further questions as to whether he was still beautifully mad in his own unique way. Behind her eyes, in her dreams, he would appear with the same broken expression that had marred his face the very last time she had seen him as she faded away into her own world.

The guilt was strong, and only grew increasingly larger each time she recalled that sorrow-filled expression.

Working late into the night on her newest voyage plans, Alice mused for a moment over the fact that the books lining every wall of the study were the only friends she had yet to let down. Disheartened by the realization, her plans were slipped back into her desk drawer.

* * *

A bed too large for one occupant stood on one side of the bedroom, draped in red silk bedsheets that complimented deep brown curtains, opposite a large upright chest of drawers. Light filtered through a sliver in the curtains, creating a stripe the stretched across the floor.

Sarah Kingsley, though she had been widowed long ago, still slept on one side of the bed. The other side remained firmly vacant, patiently waiting for the return of its occupant. It was unfortunate that that time would never come. Years ago, after the death of her husband, Sarah had at first taken to laying on his pillow, his scent still clinging to the fabric. Slowly though, she could smell him less and less, until finally it was as if the scent had vanished altogether, following her late husband's lead.

A small book lay on top of the bedside table nearest her, one that had been hers for a very long time, the title etched in gold on the cover, Labyrinth. It was a comfort really, the little tome. Even now, recalling the events that that book had put into action was an easy task. The Labyrinth had been a test of character, a lesson in humility and selflessness, and an important turning point in her life. Before she made the rash decision to wish her baby brother to the land of the goblins, there were very few character traits that she possessed that she would be proud of possessing as an adult. The Labyrinth was not merely a game to gain back from the Goblin King what she had lost; it was an experience that shaped her, changed her, for the foreseeable future.

Her friends had stopped visiting when she married. Sarah was heartbroken for months after they no longer answered her call, and her husband was helpless to do anything more than hold her while she sobbed. He was a good man, a kind man, and Sarah did come to love him despite the fact that the coupling had been arranged by her parents. She loved him, and he loved her, and the daughter they had both brought into the world was her heart's delight.

Just the thought that Alice would eventually desire to travel away again, whether for business or pleasure, left the woman aching in her chest. As dearly as she wanted her only child to find happiness in whatever manner possible, she labored under an intense fear of being alone for so very long once more.

Not until the corner of the book was digging into her chest did Sarah realize that she had subconsciously lifted it from the bedside table and hugged it tightly to her, a shield to protect her from all thoughts of loneliness.

* * *

Pacing in his throne room, as he couldn't seem to sit still, Jareth was ablaze. The Hatter was perfectly happy and preoccupied with the dozen or so goblins dashing about and harassing chickens that the king did not feel the need to keep an eye on him. Not that he had an overwhelming ability to focus at present anyway. Crystal in hand, an already planned triumph painted all over his smug face, he could not see a single way in which he did not come out on top of this deal. Either his orange haired cousin was exceptionally clever and could see the situation differently, or he was so off his rocker that he might as well have never had one remained to be seen, though the king would bet his weight in gold that it was the latter.

As Sarah slept peacefully, book held tight to her chest, Jareth shifted his attention to her daughter. The young woman was doing her best impression of utter fascination in the tome open on the desk before her, succeeding for only a moment before closing it with an annoyed huff.

"Tarrant." The Goblin King did not remove his eyes from the crystal as he called to the Hatter, waving him over. Bouncing on his toes, Tarrant bounded over, eyes growing impossibly larger, an example followed by his grin as he laid eyes on Alice for the first time in far too long. Favoring his distant cousin with a deceptively kind smile, Jareth encouraged him. "Go ahead, you know what to do."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave a review, as that lets me know that you are enjoying this fic a tiny bit and makes me want to continue! You can find me on tumblr as well, the UN is the same as it is here = BrutallyRomantic**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or Alice in Wonderland in any way, shape or form.**

* * *

Feathery voices tickled at the edges of Alice's dream state, tingling her steadily into consciousness with the easy gentle swing of a summer breeze. Peace enveloped the woman, holding her close like a protective mother. Thoughts of her mother, and the knowledge that she would likely be summoned to breakfast very soon, drew Alice grudgingly out of her sweet slumber and more fully into the waking world. Only as she shifted into a sitting position and stretched her arms up over her head in a habitual motion did the woman realize that something was very wrong.

Tall grass bent under the force of the wind that curled around the hilltop on which Alice found herself, brushing at her arms and neck lightly. The sun was not visible but the sky was lit with a dim grey light, the source of which Alice could not place. Pushing to her feet with a determined expression, uncertainty and fear shoved aside in favor of muchness, she moved immediately to walk up the hilltop and find the high ground in order to survey her surroundings most effectively.

Jareth watched invisibly, his eyes were everywhere, rather impressed with the way in which Alice proceeded to place herself instead of panicking upon awakening as he had half expected. Scolding himself inwardly despite the amused expression on the outside, the king reminded himself that this was no ordinary girl. Woman.

Alice held her gaze steady as she scanned the land around her, eyes falling quickly upon the massive labyrinth. Located directly behind the hill on which she had awoken, it stretched farther than she could comprehend, what looked like a large castle dead in the center.

A little over two years ago, Alice might have panicked and worried and gotten rather angry in response to this unexpected and unrequested relocation. In fact, she would have likely convinced herself it was a dream. Two months ago she might have done very much the same, if only for her mother's sake and to keep the woman from feeling abandoned immediately after her daughter's return. However, with how cooped up the woman had been feeling, and how very much she believed this place must be Underland, the only emotion that Alice was brimming with was utter joy.

The excited expression, ecstatic really, that Alice wore so readily came as a shock to the Goblin King. Never before had he witnessed such a reaction to his, in his opinion, rather magnificent and intimidating labyrinth. Astounded momentarily by the remarkable woman, Jareth nearly missed the woman's shout.

"I'm back!" Alice exclaimed triumphantly, bouncing where she stood and thoughts rushing to figure out just how to find the White Queen's castle and her dear Hatter from this strange corner of the land she had come to love.

"I'm afraid you are confused." From thin air came his voice, a trick that Jareth counted on to put any challenger off their guard and unprepared for his sudden appearance opposite of where his voice had originated. In this respect, Alice did not disappoint, whirling in place, twice, to find his voice and then the rest of him. Eyes widening as she took in the tall, lanky figure, expression then falling cautiously neutral, Alice lifted her chin in a manner that was quite endearingly Sarah-like.

"Oh?" Jareth admired the way she kept her voice steady, slinking one step closer with a knowing and slightly smug twist of his lips.

"Indeed." Swooping to swiftly close the distance between them and curl his body behind her, the fair royal lowered his voice. "Welcome to my Labyrinth." Alice's back stiffened all at once with his sudden proximity, the air thickening in her lungs, yet she refused to budge an inch. The man was just that, a man, she told herself. If she could handle the men in her own land, she could handle the men here. If here was really not Underland however, where was she?

"What is this land? Who are you? How did I get here?" Impressed less so by the way the woman's naïve courage reminded him of Sarah again, the Goblin King remained where he stood. She would learn soon enough that he was to be feared. He would not make the same mistakes as he had in the past.

"This land is mine", he answered vaguely. "I am the Goblin King, and this", he gestured to the labyrinth and all that it held with a grand swing of his arm, "is my kingdom. As for how you got here, perhaps you should ask someone.. _else_." Looking out over the immense labyrinth with a careful eye, Alice tried again, albeit in a different manner, still not moving an inch. The man, the Goblin King, smelled like something wild.

"Do you know where I can find the White Queen's castle?" Charmed less by the minute by Alice's blunt questioning, Jareth found himself missing Sarah's posturing just a bit. Anything was better than this stiff reaction and lack of humor. Fingers curved on Alice's shoulders, gripping her in an attempt to intimidate her into producing some sort of reaction that was not merely another monotone question. The attempt did its job, in a way, as Alice seemed to tense increasingly more under the king's hands, shoulders shifting upwards as if to protect her neck and inadvertently pushing them further into his grasp.

"Do you see a white castle here, Alice?" Sliding her name on his tongue like a prayer, Jareth leaned as close as he was able to Alice's ear without actually touching it with his lips as he spoke. "Do you like _games_ , precious?"

Even his voice sounded like sin and Alice was unable to find a word so great that it could define her discomfort. There was a natural fear, most certainly prodded on by the now unmistakable knowledge that she was not in any land she knew, an instinct within, which urged her to run and to run right _now_. But even deeper was a desire that was born the very instant that she was, and it was one that had gotten her in far greater trouble than any stubborn rebellion or bad business deal or disgruntled and denied man ever had. This desire was the one that left her with an unquenchable thirst for adventure, the need to defy what was called normal and chase after the dangerous and forbidden.

Heart racing like the pounding of a million horses' hooves on hard packed dirt, Alice's voice was thin but sure, "What kind of games?"

* * *

The Hatter flailed in the darkness, unable to escape the chains that shackled him to what must have been a solid stone wall. Nothing less could have held him in his state. Further gone than ever before, the man was soaked in sweat that streaked down his face and matted his wild hair to almost an average level. Spittle flew from his cursing lips as they formed words meant for no being to hear; the arms of his coat had torn at the edges and the fabric that clung still to life was spotted and stained with his blood. He had not ceased ripping at the chains he bore since the first moment he found them placed, and he surely would bear the scars of his efforts on his wrists for the remainder of his years.

He had been fooled, tricked, bamboozled, manipulated! The word that started with 'm' did nothing to settle him, but here nothing could. In the Oubliette, things were left to be forgotten, and that was Jareth's intent for his cousin.

" _Don't you worry, dear cousin, I know just how to bring your Alice back down here. It is surely far easier of a task to bring her from my castle to Underland, is it not?" Jareth's voice was slick as he draped an arm over the Hatter's slumped shoulders, green eyes returning his gaze trustingly. The Goblin King continued, "It's really very simple. In any normal case, one may wish away someone of their choosing, generally someone they will not actually miss, but if they wish, they may run my labyrinth to win back their.. prize."_

" _But I don't want to wish her away! I want to wish her_ _ **here**_ _!" The Hatter jumped in, interrupting the king with hurried words. Holding up a hand to indicate his wish for silence, Jareth moved on as he had not been stopped._

" _There is another way that one may be wished away, and that Is if they are to do so themselves." Jareth's hand remained up, cutting off whatever the Hatter had been about to exclaim. "If one is to wish themselves away,_ _ **they**_ _will be the one chooses who is to run for them. They choose their champion." The Hatter's eyes shone as he practically burst with the words before Jareth could explain further._

" _I wish the goblins would come and take me away, right now! And I wish Alice would come save me!" In a snap, the Goblin King had the Hatter in what appeared to be cast iron shackles, leaving the madman bewildered and wearing an expression of abject betrayal._

" _You didn't wait for the rules, cousin, and now Alice will have to figure them out for herself. If she can't.. I suppose she will just have to stay here with me. Forever." The Hatter spiraled into the darkness, in more ways than one._

* * *

The Goblin City was a mess of stacked upon houses and shops made of any materials one could scavenge, more often than not remaining more solid than it appeared. The haphazard layout was nonetheless navigated easily by the tiny figure that darted through the clusters in inhabitants that littered the city, going about their varied businesses. The tiny goblin traveled to the center of the city, scaling the side of a stone building with ease and entering through a window. Landing with a thud and announcing itself loudly as a messenger, the little creature handed over the leather bag it held with a ginger sort of caution that one did not generally see in a goblin.

Accepting the item into his delicate hands, the creature that was certainly _not_ a goblin peered into the bag the moment the messenger had fled. His eyes grew round and flashed as he pulled out the object within. _Finally._


	4. Chapter 4

He held the crystal gingerly in hands that barely wrapped the orb, thumbs stroking the polished surface with the reverence of a worshipper. Breathing out the air he didn't realize earlier that he had been holding, Pheri set the crystal onto a worn velvet pillow where it nestled into the plush. For long minutes he stared, unable to tear his eyes from his long sought conquest.

Jareth. The name brought an astounding amount of emotion just through the simple action of thinking it; years had passed before Pheri could even do such a simple thing. Within the Goblin realm there was only one name of importance, a man, a legend known above all else to be thoroughly true. The commanding presence alone might have made the Goblin King a force with which to be reckoned, but in tandem with his prodigious magical skills there was no doubt in any little goblin's mind that Jareth was to be feared, worshipped, obeyed.

Even amongst those not goblin-kind, the king was well known and widely adored. Pheri counted himself one of the fair king's biggest fans, the very epitome of an adoring underling. Stroking the crystal orb that had taken so very long to acquire, he nearly trembled with eager excitement over what was to come.

"Don't worry, your majesty, I shall make very certain that all is right in the world. Soon."

* * *

Irritation in a Goblin King was never a pretty sight, yet it was always easily spotted. A twitching foot, frown that tipped just so, the angle at which he slumped into his throne, they all wove a story of pure and unadulterated annoyance, the source of which lay in the king's clenched fist. Just below the crystal's surface ran a girl, and not just any girl. Alice jogged steadily, making turns with no apparent purpose or forethought, and yet she was encountering very little trouble.

It had taken mere moments for the woman to discover the trick with the hidden turns along the first corridor, and even less time for her to begin running the labyrinth in earnest. Though sweat beaded on her face, her expression was an easy one, very nearly carefree.

Jareth almost wished he hadn't locked Tarrant up, at least the man might have distracted him from the girl's arrogance and ease. God, he hated how very like her mother she was.

The rules.. Jareth, though sometimes a rash king, was ever a fair one. Though he had teased his cousin that he would withhold the rules from the lovely Alice, he had gone through with explaining the basics.

" _You will have thirteen hours to run my labyrinth and reach the castle at the center, beyond the Goblin City. Should you fail, I will keep he who has chosen you as champion."_

" _Who did what now?" Alice was genuinely confused, Jareth was positively gleeful as he answered, "I suppose you shall find out if you win, won't you?" The girl had crossed her arms impertinently and retorted, "What if I don't care who you're keeping?"_

 _A chuckle was all the response she was given before Jareth vanished, his voice lingering long enough to speak one last time._

" _I do hope that the dear man hasn't chosen the wrong champion."_

With that, Alice had shouted a bit more into the empty air before giving up and walking towards the labyrinth with a confidence of which the origin was unclear.

The king cleared his throat and demanded tea, glaring all the while at the crystal in his palm. "This is getting boring. Time for some trouble, I think." No gesture was given, but magic was released within the labyrinth's walls, spreading to the plants that grew over every surface with an untamed wildness that spoke of never having been groomed. Ever. The greenery drank in the magic like a dying man drinks water, power soaking into each and every fiber of their being with ease.

An audible clink of glass on glass signaled the arrival of the king's tea. Sipping like a proper gentleman, Jareth watched through the crystal as the various vines, trees and blooms shifted, restless.

Alice's expression froze in his crystal as it twisted in horror before the moving landscape, the king savored her fear. When he allowed it to continue, he was treated to the sight of Alice fighting through the plants with her bare hands, hissing when a thorn dug into her exposed arms or legs. Grudgingly impressed by her determination to move forward, Jareth moved along a different track, changing the location of the walls surrounding the girl and leading her to dead end after dead end.

Even so, her expression was unchanged. How very infuriating. A low crack sounded as the king disappeared, scaring the bejeesus out of any goblin close enough and unfortunate enough to be subjected to the temporarily deafening noise.

* * *

Alice smacked a hand against stone as she reached yet another dead end. How was it possible that the entire labyrinth was changing every time her eyes shifted away?

"Magic." The voice answered her unspoken thought, she searched swiftly for the source. "Down here."

Immediately her eyes dropped, falling upon a small figure holding a crystal nearly as big as his head. He smiled charmingly as he introduced himself with a little bow.

"I'm Pheri, and I'm very pleased to meet you, Alice." The fact that the small man was already aware of her identity was not lost on her, but she elected to ignore that. Returning his bow with a vague curtsy and a smile, Alice knelt so that she could be at eye level with her new companion.

"Hello, Pheri. It's a pleasure to meet you as well. If you know, would you be able to tell me how to get through this labyrinth?" The man shifted from foot to foot, moving the weight of the crystal from hand to hand as he looked away.

"I don't know.. I think magic might be faster than running." Alice lifted a brow.

"I'm sure it would be. But I'm not currently in possession of any, so running is what I'm left with." At this, Pheri's eyes returned to hers, a mischievous glimmer lingering as he said, "I might have some magic you can use."

"Oh?"

"Mhmm", Pheri nodded proudly, hefting the orb out before him. "This right here is magic. It can give you anything you wish."

"Anything?" Alice answered with a mixture of cautious hope, accepting the crystal. Heavier than it appeared, the crystal appeared as if it were glowing with its own inner light.

"Oh yes. Anything. But you have to use the right words." Pheri had her on the hook and he knew it, his plan to make the king proud was coming to fruition far earlier and easier than he had ever dared to imagine.

"What are-" Alice was interrupted midsentence by none other than the king, glittering magic rushing from his body in a cloud as he came into being not two feet in front of her. His predatory eyes fastened swiftly on the orb in Alice's hand and flickered for a short moment to the small man beside her.

"And where exactly did you get that?" He spoke in a voice that demanded an answer, brooking no argument. There would be no denying the theft, nor would there be escape from punishment were Pheri not to follow through right this very second.

"Quick", the words tumbled from Pheri in a rush, "you must say 'I wish I was home.'"

The statement was dropping from Alice's lips the moment Pheri spoke it. A short second of triumph flooded Alice's system with endorphins, a pleasant light-headedness taking over her senses. It did not last. Jareth laughed aloud as the crystal glowed brightly, bursting into stardust and settling on Alice like a second skin.

"My, my, Alice. It seems you've found yourself in quite a predicament."

The girl glanced down at herself and at her surroundings with an uncertainty faltering in her every expression, she was sure that the magic was meant to take her home. Jareth's gaze dropped to the little man with a benevolent grin.

"Today is your lucky day, elf. Your theft will go unpunished, and I might just knight you later." Pheri jumped with glee, his wings sprouting through the back of his coat in his excitement. Too pleased to care about the ruined clothing and the fact that he had outed himself as a winged elf, some considered those of his kind abominations, Pheri gazed at Jareth adoringly.

Jareth surveyed the winged man with what could almost be classified as surprise, an emotion that gave way quickly to more laughter.

"And a winged elf at that! You should be proud of yourself then. Those of your kind so rarely have a single unique thought to call their own." Pheri lost some height in his hover, but the backhanded compliment did not completely destroy his happiness.

"Thank you, your majesty!"

Alice watched the exchange, eyes gleaming with fascination as Pheri's wings revealed themselves. The magical second faded faster than she would have liked, but she truly desired answers.

"Tell me what I just did", Alice demanded of Pheri, who had no shame whatsoever in any part of his angled features.

"You wished you were home." Pheri stated simply, a smug grin on his face that rivaled Jareth's.

"So, naturally, magic made certain that you were home. Here. Here is your home now. Don't you know that magic always serves to benefit the original user?" Jareth continued the explanation with no small amount of pleasure, gesturing to himself with a flourish to make it clear from where the magic had come, most especially after seeing the way that Alice's face contorted through the full range of human emotion before falling on betrayal which shifted into a distraught hopelessness.

"But I still have time to finish the labyrinth! You cheated!"

Jareth laughed again, glee tickling at him from the inside out as victory came so much easier than he could have dreamed. How long had he waited to find revenge on the woman who had broken his heart? Denied him utterly in a way no one ever had? And now, her daughter was destined to remain in his realm for the rest of her years.

"That's hardly cheating, Alice. You made the wish all on your own." Alice looked helplessly from the king to the small hovering elf, face twisting in what could only be described as fury. Savoring the anger pouring from his new conquest in waves, Jareth took a step towards her to speak and continue explaining just how thoroughly Alice had screwed up. Before a single word could fall from his lips Alice lashed out, landing a solid punch to the side of the tall royal's face.

Pheri gasped aloud as Jareth's head snapped to the side. Alice was certainly stronger than she appeared. Like any fae, the Goblin King was far too sturdy to be truly bothered by a single lucky punch, but even Jareth would admit that Alice had true potential as a warrior.

The girl seemed surprised that Jareth had not done more than turn his head with her hit, irritation filling her face as she lashed out again, pounding at the king's torso with increasingly frenzied punches. He allowed this to go on for several seconds, then grasped both of Alice's fists in a flash once he had had enough. Forcing them down, Jareth leaned in as he did so, coming so close that Alice could smell the wild magic on the man that she had not so very many hours ago.

"It is unwise to strike your king, dear Alice. I shall not let this go unpunished next time." Alice's eyes widened with rage that he would dare to call himself her king. Ripping her fists from his hands, she hissed in return, "You're no king. You're a coward who can't play a fair game." Jareth's expression soured at the accusation, drawing himself up tall he 'tsk'ed.

"If you do not learn your place, you'll soon find you no longer have one."

"I don't want any place in any kingdom of yours."

Pheri shouted then, butting into the tense encounter, "The Goblin King is a wonderful ruler! Don't you dare talk back to him!" Jareth gleamed with a pride that bordered arrogance, Alice looked to Pheri with an expression of bewilderment.

"How can you serve a king that would kidnap people and trap them in his demented maze?"

"Labyrinth", Jareth corrected, arms crossing before him as he grinned. Alice glared.

"What does it matter what I call it? I don't like it." Bristling at the slight to his domain, Jareth gripped Alice's chin and made certain he held her eyes.

"Hold your tongue, girl. Or shall I hold it for you?" Slapping his hand away, Alice spoke with all the confidence of one who has no idea how much trouble she was really in, "You will not be holding anything. I'm finding a way home whether you like it or not."

"You really don't understand, do you?" Jareth asked, his triumphant laugh grating in Alice's skull. "Everyone who calls my domain home is bound to it inextricably. The wish you so foolishly made has changed you fundamentally. As far as it is concerned, you are already home, and you can take me at my word when I say that travel between the realms is far from easy."

"I've travelled to another place and come home before. This time will be no different." Alice refused flat-out to believe that there was no hope of returning from whence she came. Hell, she would be happy just finding her way to Underland proper. No matter who told her otherwise, there was nothing that was going to keep her from going where she pleased. Not a demented magical king, not a flying elf, not any sort of magic in existence. She did not care a single bit for anyone's rules. She would make her own.

"I'm aware of your travels to the Underlands, and I can assure you that fleeing from my kingdom is far more difficult." Stumbling over her thoughts at the revelation that the Goblin King knew already of her adventures, Alice was unsure and for the first time it showed.

"There's always a way", she retorted, though far weaker than she had previously. Jareth sensed a surrender.

"There is no way from my kingdom without my permission." He destroyed her hopes as thoroughly as he was able, lifting a brow as her expression tipped further into hopelessness, fueled by the true and growing fear that she was trapped in earnest.

* * *

Deep underground, the Oubliette was lit by one single light, flickering in the darkness. The Hatter, crouched on his knees, dismissed the sight as an apparition, a hallucination, delusion, mirage. There's the 'M'. His thoughts wavered dangerously from wild to flat until he took note of the light's movement. Exhausted by his efforts to fight the chains binding him, Tarrant had no strength to do any more than lift his head, eyes following the bobbing light.

A lantern emerged from the shadows, making itself clearer as it approached. "Twinkle, twinkle light of mine, how I love to watch you shine..", the Hatter sung nonsensically, giggling to himself weakly and waving his head from side to side as his words grew unintelligible. Drawing near, the bearer of the light began to become visible. Short, thick, an expression like nothing good had ever happened to him in this life. The man came up next to the Hatter, who took very little notice as the shackles fell away from his limbs.

"Come on, you", the stranger grumbled, "You'll not be wanting to be forgotten just yet."


	5. Chapter 5

While not long earlier the Labyrinth had been working against Alice as an immune system might battle a virus, now it opened up to her. Welcoming the girl into its monstrous depths further by the moment, walls shifted whenever she drew near. Fear should have been her first reaction, with how she was now apparently trapped, but Alice had always been a curious girl. Fascination warred with her common sense as she moved about the Labyrinth, now unhindered by those obstacles it would throw up for any challenger.

Blue-green moss clung to stone, branches and roots of which Alice could not pinpoint the origin crisscrossed the path at odd intervals. Judging by the sun, and with the assumption that days were the normal length, Alice estimated that she had been exploring her surroundings for the better part of three hours. This was a revelation, as the young woman hadn't even noted the passage of time. She added that to the mental list of facts she had been compiling concerning this place and its enigmatic ruler.

Thinking of the Goblin King summoned the all too recent memory of his breath on her ear, the wild and undefinable scent, and the mismatched eyes that peered seemingly directly through her. It struck Alice quite suddenly that this all seemed too familiar. At first, she had assumed this was due to her travels in the Underlands, but that wasn't right. This wasn't anywhere near there as far as she knew, so why was everything giving her sense of nostalgia?

Rustling and grumbling from the patch of trees she had been approaching set Alice on her guard, prepared to take down whomever was coming. Fists clenching ever more tightly as the sounds of movement grew louder, Alice did not expect the thing that came hopping out to resemble a very small and adorable rabbit. Or maybe it was something more like a mouse, just larger, and not nearly as disturbing looking as a rat.

The creature darted past her without taking any notice of her astonished expression, but the sounds from the forest did not cease. Alice's nerves settled as a small group of the rabbit-mouse creatures ran past in a flurry of blue-cream fur and long cat-like tails. Walking again towards the tree line without fear, Alice laughed to herself as the noise still had not stopped.

"How many of you are there? My word, you make such a lot of noise for tiny things." Alice bent over at the waist to get a closer look at the next creature she expected to streak past her, perhaps she could even catch one. But what emerged next was far larger, crashing into Alice and sending her falling backwards on her rear with a loud thump.

"You let them get away, stupid!" The gruff voice came from just above Alice where she was still on the ground, rubbing at a spot on her lower back that had struck a rock jutting from the earth. Directing her gaze up to the disgruntled figure, Alice believed she could identify the…person perhaps?.. as female with the way her clothing draped over her form resembling something like a roman tunic.

Short and stocky, the female creature barely reached Alice's chest when she stood again, brushing herself down. Glaring daggers at Alice now rather than gazing off into the direction the small creatures had been dashing, the newcomer examined her without shame.

"Oh. You must be the new goblin, yeah?" The dwarf wrinkled her nose, pulling at Alice's skirt and walking a circle around her. "You've not even begun to shrink yet. When did your champion lose?" Alice was taken aback by the short woman's questions and her lack of any decorum at all. Of course, Alice herself never cared much for decorum, but it was unsettling to see it from the other side.

"I'm not a goblin. And I don't plan to do any shrinking just now, thank you very much." The dwarf woman barked a laugh and began to walk away.

"No one _plans_ to become a goblin, stupid! That's just what happens when you stay in the Labyrinth too long. You get all polluted by the magic. Humans are notoriously weak against this sort of thing. It's too wild for 'em." Speaking as if it was a matter of fact without even turning to look at Alice, the dwarf continued. "You'll be at my level in a week, tops." With that, she turned to throw Alice a mischievous leering grin and a wink. "Maybe you and I can go for a drink when you're a bit more normal looking."

Alice's jaw dropped as the dwarf woman disappeared, realizing only after she was gone that she hadn't even gotten her name. Had she just been…propositioned? Shaking her head and heading into the direction that the dwarf woman had come from, Alice shouted, "I'm my own champion, for your information!" But, as she had expected, no answer was given in return, so she elected to ignore the strange encounter and work even harder to get out of this place before she really did become a goblin.

* * *

Jareth couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh or rage. On the one hand, the expression of shock on Alice's young face as the rather infamously horny dwarf woman just about delegated the girl to..what was it called in the human world? A booty call? It was possibly the most amusing thing that the king had witnessed this century. His eyes picked out the pinking of Alice's cheeks easily, the rushed heat of embarrassment capturing her thoughts for longer than he was sure she preferred. On the other hand, the girl was his, not for anyone to play games with but himself.

As if to add to his irritation, he had been told not long earlier (the messenger was still whimpering off in the corner after a particularly vicious kick) that somehow his cousin was no longer trapped in the Oubliette. It irked him to know that someone had to have betrayed him, as no one could get out of the place from the inside. The only thing keeping him from seeking out the traitor immediately was the security he felt in the knowledge that Alice was already his, and that as a citizen of the Goblin Kingdom she answered to him whether she liked it or not.

His fingers were spinning crystals before he consciously thought to do so, his absentminded fidgeting calming him effectively. It was of no matter. Alice was his alone. Comments he could ignore, but if anyone dared to lay a hand on what he claimed as his own, there would be hell to pay.

* * *

The Hatter's feet dragged as he trudged through a thick blanket of fallen leaves, following the short, grumbling figure holding a torch before him. Freed from his shackles, the feeling had returned to his hands long ago, but with sensation came the agony of open wounds encircling either wrist. Blood clotted in the ragged tears in his flesh, darkened and smudged by the dirt he had fallen in more than once. His feet were, fortunately, in slightly better shape, as the boots he consistently donned had protected his ankles. Nonetheless, it had taken time for sensation to return to his lower limbs as well, causing him great difficulty when it came time to walk.

"Where are we going?", Tarrant asked listlessly, his exhaustion glazed eyes barely making out the bobbing light that he was following.

"Somewhere safe", came the rough reply. The Hatter fell quiet, asking nothing further. Malady, misfortune… He could not find another 'm' word on which to focus his thoughts. They bounced about inside his skull like tiny rubber balls, furthering his exhaustion and making it difficult to continue focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

When his boot caught on a jutting root that had been hidden beneath the crunching leaves, the Hatter fell and did not move, his eyes closing peacefully. A sharp tugging at his arm forced him to remain conscious however, his eyes opening a fraction and glancing towards the dwarf that had led him from the Oubliette.

"Come on", the dwarf said roughly, "You can rest when we get there. You'll be fine." Tarrant breathed out a low, mad giggle as his eyes closed again.

"I quite like it here." The Hatter didn't move, savoring the relative softness of the bed of leaves in comparison to the Oubliette. Sighing loudly and grumbling out a few swear words, the dwarf pulled harder at the man's arm.

"We have to hurry! You need to rest and find your champion. I think something's gone wrong." The vague mention of Alice did manage to draw Tarrant's attention, if only marginally. Once again he opened his eyes a sliver, perusing his companion with eyes that seemed to truly see him for the first time.

"Who are you?" The dwarf was irritated beyond belief at the man's seeming death wish. Didn't he know what would happen if the Goblin King caught them?

"Hoggle", the dwarf answered after a moment. "My name is Hoggle."

* * *

Alice sat at one end of a long table, prodding at something with a fork that she wasn't entirely certain was actually edible. Surrounding her and filling the expanse of the really rather impressively large table, goblins devoured everything placed before them, disregarding any rules of etiquette in their table manners. Shifting uncomfortably in the chair provided her, the girl appeared to be off in her own world, but in reality she was observing each tiny detail available to her.

With the way the Labyrinth had cooperated after her accidental wish to become a citizen of the land, Alice made it to the Goblin City in just under two hours. By her estimation at least. The mismatched patterns and sloppily built structures of the expansive city called to her like a song, both reminding her of Underland and summoning up images of a fever dream.

As she entered the gates, the first goblin to catch sight of her had fallen utterly silent and still. This pattern repeated until all those within sight of the girl were as statues, watching her with curious eyes. As one, the goblins had then given a great shout and swarmed towards her, lifting the girl onto their shoulders. It was unsettling, seeing as the crowd carried her no higher than she might been while standing. She squirmed to escape the grasping hands, but whenever she shook one free, another took its place. Alice continued in this manner all the way up until she was dumped at the front door of a much larger and far more efficiently constructed building that what she had seen thus far.

Taking the hints of those gesturing goblins nearest to her, Alice entered. Once inside, she received the same treatment, silent and still before the celebration broke out. This time though, she wasn't hoisted up on small shoulders, but led to a table and seated at the head. More goblins erupted through the doors of what Alice assumed was something like a town hall. One out of every three goblins were heaving along a heavy tray laden with 'food'. In Alice's opinion, it all appeared to be smashed up and rotten fruit, some sort of brown sauce and perhaps some varieties of pudding? It was impossible to tell because as each tray was placed onto the wooden table, it was grabbed at by no less than a dozen small hands.

A plate was pushed in front of her after a few minutes of the feeding frenzy, and she couldn't keep the uneasy expression from showing on her face. Were they really expecting her to eat this swill with the same fervor they possessed? One by one, eyes lifted from plates to aim in her direction.

It appeared so.

When it became apparent from the stares she was receiving that the goblins were not going to look away until they ascertained that she was eating something, Alice scooped the smallest amount possible with her fork and pushed it into her mouth. The taste assaulted her senses with an earthiness and spice, both unpleasant and unexpected, but somehow decidedly delicious. She supposed it was really the texture that put her off, but she thankfully was not forced to consume more as the goblins returned to eating their own food.

The goblins conversed with shouts across the long table and wild hand gestures; Alice couldn't make out a thing any single goblin might have been saying amongst the cacophony, but she was far more interested in watching their mannerisms than anything else.

What the dwarf woman had said to her, Alice had successfully ignored while traveling to the city. But here in the midst of at least a dozen goblins, the girl felt fear creeping up her throat. Would she really become one of these creatures if she did not find a way to return home? And with this thought came another, not quite as pressing but still important. Who was it that had brought her here? The Goblin King had made it clear that the person had chosen her personally, which didn't seem possible. Yes, Alice tended to gravitate towards belief in the impossible, but she knew no one in this land if it truly was not part of Underland. How could a denizen of this place have come to know her, enough to know that she had already been a champion in another land?

A shriek beside Alice's head jerked her from the introspection that had seized her thoughts, her head jerked in the direction of the scream, searching for the source and cause. Towering in the doorway, an abnormally tall figured stood shadowed with the sun at its back. Surrender was hardly in Alice's nature, so she stood and took a step towards the stranger while those goblins nearest the door scattered.

Words flew to her tongue in an instant, only to be banished just as swiftly when the figure shifted into the room and closed the door behind him, cutting off the sun's blinding rays.

"Alright now, everybody quit your moaning! I've brought another guest." A smaller figure made itself known, having walked in beside the taller; the gruff dwarf scowled at the suddenly curious goblins creeping closer. Alice's attention could not be torn from the taller man however. Orange hair stood frazzled and covered in dirt, much like the pale skin. Tired eyes found the blonde's and lit up at the sight of her, despite the dark circles laying just beneath.

"Hatter?" Alice breathed the word, perfectly audible in the hushed silence that had befallen the entire room. As if the sound of her voice was a magical cure-all, the pain in Tarrant's expression leaked almost completely away within moments.

"You're here." The Hatter stepped forward, one hand outstretched. His fingers hovered just before Alice's face, as if afraid that she would vanish at a touch. She reached for his hand and pressed it to her, making physical contact to reassure the devastated appearing man. Joy mingled with shock and pain, a potent cocktail that caused the Hatter to feel faint in the space of a heartbeat. He kept his feet with the help of Alice's hand over his, thumb stroking the curve of her cheek as a continuing reassurance that she was not going to disappear again.

Alice's throat felt thick as she let her hand wander, the Hatter hissing and pulling away when she accidentally brushed the open wound encircling his wrist. Brows furrowed as Alice reached for his hand again, taking it gently to examine the wounds she had not noticed before.

"How… how did this happen?" Anger began to build at the sight of the angry wound, she found the other just as quickly.

"The Goblin King had him locked up in one of the Oubliettes", the dwarf answered for the silent Hatter as he was too busy staring at Alice's face with wonder and growing happiness despite their situation. Alice frowned, breathing out and then turned to the dwarf.

"Thank you for saving him." The dwarf gave a rough shrug, avoiding Alice's gaze.

"Yeah, well… It wasn't a big deal." Shaking her head, Alice bent to give him a squeeze, "It's an enormous deal, and I'm very grateful." As she straightened up again, Alice presented her hand saying, "I'm Alice, by the way, and you?"

"Hoggle", responded the dwarf, taking Alice's hand and giving it a little shake. "I've been monitoring the Oubliettes and the Labyrinth walls for a long time, so it really wasn't hard to figure out how to bust him out."

Alice only heard the name, everything after was caught up in the buzz in her mind. That name, Hoggle, struck a chord, like she had heard it before. Working it out with a sudden burst of thought, Alice snapped her fingers.

"Why didn't I remember this before? I know you!" Alice looked down to the dwarf triumphantly before wonder filled her widening smile. "I know all of this!" Hoggle's face contorted as he scoffed, waving a hand and lumbering towards the long table to bully a goblin from the seat he wanted.

"Don't be daft. No human knows the Labyrinth, only the champions do, and they-" Hoggle shook his head and mumbled the rest as he sat, "..they always forget."


End file.
